LG is a well-known brand that has made a lot of different kinds of electronics. Since a few years ago, their headphones haven’t been all that great, but their wireless neckband earphones have been better. LG makes a lot of different neckbands, but the LG Tone Style SL5 is by far the best one. Its price is right in the middle of the range. The LG Tone Triumph is their low-cost model, and the LG Tone Platinum is their high-end model. Compared to the SL5, both of these have a lot of problems.
LG gives you small, medium, and large sets of ear tips. I hoped to see a different material, like memory foam, for the original price of $100 USD. You’ll be better off spending a few bucks on a third-party option if you like thicker silicone or want memory foam. The neckband is made of a slightly rubbery material that gives it some give.
This makes it easy to pack into a small bag. I wish the material had more friction because, unlike the RHA T20 Wireless, the band kept moving around when I walked. On the front left side of the neckband, there is a covered USB-C port, an on/off button, and a volume rocker that lets you skip or rewind tracks by holding it down for one second. This plan works out well. It’s easy to figure out what to do and find the buttons without wandering around aimlessly.
LG worked with Meridian Audio to make the SL5 sound better. Whether or not this was a good choice depends on what kind of music you like. For EDM or Trap music that needs more bass, you would find more to be desired. It sounds like the low-end frequencies aren’t as important as the rest of the mix.
The mix makes the vocals sound great and clear. It’s the one thing that got the most attention. Most vocals are in the high end of the low frequencies and most of the mid-range frequencies. These have been turned up, so they sound much louder than the rest of the mix. The vocals in the mix are so loud that even the crashing cymbals can’t be heard.
Using an EQ can help fix a lot of these problems, but it’s frustrating to do, especially when a company like Meridian Audio was involved in making the sound of the earphones. Since it had Meridian Audio, we also thought it would be able to play high-quality music, but it wasn’t. SBC support is only available for Android. IOS users do get AAC support, which is good, but they don’t get aptX support, which is a shame since Meridian Audio is known for making high-quality audio components.